5:29PM PST on Day 5. We are at Rally mile 2519. In 60 miles, we switch to Mountain time again and the clock goes forward. We entered the Arctic Circle 150 miles ago. I would like to tell you I felt like Sansa, a princess traveling in her homeland of the North, but we are more like wildlings in 4-wheel drive, traversing the Northwest Territories. A whitewalker could certainly appear between the trees at any moment.
Time out: A linx just ran by the side of the road into the trees! Too fast for us to photograph.
We left the hotel in Dawson City at 7:30AM this morning in the dark. We have barely seen the sun today, it remained muffled behind an overcast sky, and has already set. From the Klondike Highway, we headed due north on Dempster Highway, into a land without emergency services available.
Immediately the winds picked up and snowdrifts began climbing across the road, so thick that Sweep 3 (one of our rescue trucks) got stuck in front of the rest of us and we all waited while one of the Jeepers (#27) pulled it out. Several cars had to turn around and go back to Dawson City for the night. Any minor car trouble would make the drive unsafe and most of the 2-wheel drives couldn’t make it over the snowdrifts.
We have been traveling with the two Jeep Wrangler Rubicons all day and hopefully will continue to do so this trip. They partnered up Day 1 and took us on as a third wheel. We are happy to tag along. The Jeepers are fun guys hanging out the window (in -30F windchill) with Go-Pros and great attitudes. And they seem to know how to approach terrain circumspectly. They think Josh’s combination of thick Southern charm and off-kilter sense of humor are a riot. I agree. The black one, #35, carries a father-son duo from Washington, Alan and Shane. The yellow one, #27, is owned by two buddies from New York, Johan from Columbia (who owns the vehicle) and Joe, who has a thick NY accent and a family. #27 hit a snowbank shortly after pulling out the sweep but luckily a snowplow was nearby and gave us a hand. Even the organizer/founder of the event went off the road and got stuck today.
Continued, Day #6, on the way to Tuk: Yesterday, headed up Dempster Highway, we lost many of our fellow Alcaners, who travelled back to Dawson City or back to Whitehorse, where we will meet up in two nights. The first part was too difficult for many vehicles and I am so impressed with the work Josh put into the Xterra. #32 is doing very well. Ice got into the electrical yesterday and the truck stuck in 4-wheel drive but e we needed the 4-wheel drive to get through the snowdrifts. We decided the car was telling us what it needed to do. We made it to Inuvik, which is the largest Canadian town in the Arctic Circle, with a population of 3,500. Its corrugated steel structures and blocky homes make it appear almost soviet–it has a communist feel to it.
Many of the hotel workers look like they may be of native decent, with darker skin tones and round faces. As true to Canadian stereotypes, locals are incredibly kind and endearing. This morning, I met #27, Matt and Trevor, in the restaurant when I was grabbing coffee and we chatted with the waiter. The waiter was a white 30-ish man from a larger city down south. He came to Inuvik with his sister, a traveling nurse/nutritionist who was stationed here for a year. She was sent to the tiny towns 1-2 hours north and islands (where the polar bears live!) to advise locals about their dietary habits. When she would tell them to eat more fruits and vegetables, they would laugh, as their diet consisted mainly of meat and canned goods for a reason: an apple costs $8. They have no access to fresh produce. She moved on to another position and her brother, the waiter stayed on, telling us he liked living in a small town. The truth is, he has no car and no financial ability to leave. We asked him about Tuk, today’s destination, and he said he had never been. He is confined to Inuvik.
Note: I checked and it costs about $7500 US to have a guide take you out to see polar bears. Clearly, we have no polar bear encounters happening anytime soon.
We are on the dirt highway, on our way to Tuk, with black Jeep #35 ahead and yellow Jeep #27 behind. The road is bumpy and I keep typing extra letters as I write and my fingers slip. It’s locally 10AM and we have been driving since 8:30AM. But we are on “rally time” which is PST, so for us it’s actually 9AM. We just watched the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen over the white tundra. Soft grays, blues, oranges and pink. I am firmly convinced I need to learn to paint. It is -40 degrees out. We think it might be colder but our friend’s thermometer doesn’t go that low. I am simply grateful and at peace, welcoming this adventure.
The Misadventures of Kate & Josh 